The Positive Impact of Fraternities
Research proves that fraternities foster positive mental health, serve as a success accelerator for students, and engender tremendous loyalty and connection among alumni to support their alma mater.
Phi Gamma Delta actively participates in and supports interfraternal research intended to empirically show the value and opportunities of fraternity membership. Below are summaries of recent projects coordinated by the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). Learn more at www.nicfraternity.org/research.
Fraternity Members Experience Stronger Mental Health & Wellness
While college men are experiencing loneliness and depression at increasing rates, fraternities empower students to create a strong support system. This family – this home – that fraternities provide offers connection and can create a strong sense of belonging, leading members to have more positive mental health and less anxiety and depression.
- Fraternity members report higher levels of positive mental health, and less depression or anxiety than unaffiliated members.
- Nearly 80% of fraternity men report excellent to good mental health and wellbeing.
- When members seek help, they are twice as likely to turn to a brother than anyone else.
- Fraternity and sorority members believe that good support systems exist on campus for students going through a tough time.
- Fraternity and sorority members are more likely to seek therapy or counseling at some point in their lives.
- Fraternities provide an environment where members can have tough conversations, especially about personal issues like relationships, family and mental health struggles.
Fraternities Are an Accelerator for Success in College & Beyond
Students spend 90% of their time outside the classroom. Fraternities capitalize on those hours by preparing men for success in college and in their futures far beyond what their peers experience. And a study of thousands of alumni of diverse backgrounds shows this holds true regardless of an individual’s background or socioeconomic status entering college.
- 83% of members indicate stronger leadership confidence as a result of their fraternity membership.
- Fraternity members show significantly higher learning gains than their peers in their first year of college.
- Despite being less diverse than students in general, fraternity/sorority members reported higher levels of interaction with people different from themselves than did other students.
- Fraternity alumni are twice as likely to feel that their alma maters prepared them well for life after college and that they gained important job-related skills.
- Fraternity alumni find jobs more quickly after graduation and are more engaged in the workplace.
- They’re more likely to be thriving in every aspect of wellbeing – career, community, financial, physical and social wellbeing.
- Fraternity members leverage their networks, with almost half stating that another member helped them find an internship or job and provided them with career advice.
- One in five students considers joining a fraternity or sorority, but ultimately decides not to because they’re “too busy with academics” or have financial concerns.
- Fraternity members experience stronger retention and persistence to graduation.
Fraternities Create Lifelong Connection to the Campus, Community & Their Peers
Members are more engaged inside and outside of the classroom than their peers - they report feeling more supported by their faculty and nearly half serve in leadership roles across campus. They’re also more connected to their local communities, spending significantly more time volunteering than nonaffiliated students.
- 75% of fraternity members demonstrate strong satisfaction with their overall student experience.
- 78% of fraternity members feel a strong connection to campus1 and are more satisfied with their experience.
- Nearly half of fraternity members serve in other campus leadership roles.
- Fraternity members are more involved in co-curricular activities, and membership promotes student leadership and development, as well as satisfaction with the collegiate experience.
- Fraternity members have stronger interaction with faculty than their peers, with higher rates feeling like their professors cared about them as a person or made them excited about learning.
- Fraternity members spend significantly more time volunteering, mentoring and doing other types of service work, and they feel like they belong in their communities.
- Fraternity members feel a stronger connection to and are more engaged in their communities.
- Fraternity alumni feel a deeper sense of loyalty with their alma mater because of their positive college experiences, and they are more likely recommend their school to others and donate after graduation.
- If they had to do college over again, more than eight out of 10 fraternity members would re-join their organizations.
